Attorney Providing Free Legal Services To Vets June 4th, Weekend After Memorial Day

Veterans who need help with their legal affairs should mark Saturday, June 4thon their calendars. Between now and then, they should give some thought as to how they would like their legal affairs settled, says Madison veteran, volunteer, and lawyer Ryan Suerth.

On that Saturday, Suerth will be providing his legal expertise free to veterans. He’s doing this, he says, to thank those veterans for their service to their country. The event is open to veterans anywhere, as long as they can get to the Madison VFW Post 2096 at 85 Lovers Lane on June 4th, sometime between noon and 5 p.m.

If they can’t get there between those hours, Suerth said, they just need to let him know and he will try to accommodate specific schedules where he can. Veterans who are interested in coming June 4th should call 203-245-9938, but Suerth said he will take on walk-ins as well if the schedule allows for it the day of the event.

Not the first time

This is not the first time Suerth has expressed his gratitude for those who serve his country.

Following his graduation from law school in California in 2000, Suerth skipped his graduation ceremony and drove directly back to Connecticut to help retired U.S. Army Colonel Robert Simmons during Simmons’ successful campaign for his first term as a U.S. Congressman, dislodging a 20-year incumbent in the process. Suerth was in charge of grass roots field organizing for that campaign and afterwards followed Simmons to Washington, D.C.

While working as a legislative aide for Simmons in the Capitol building on Sept. 11, 2001, Suerth saw on television the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York. When he turned around to look out the window, he saw smoke coming from the Pentagon after it was attacked. He and others were evacuated. Afterwards, he says, “I was stuck with this feeling that I wanted to do something.”

Desire translated into action

That desire to do something was translated into action when he decided to join the Army. He joined the U.S. Army's Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps and served with the storied 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas, the heavy armored division assigned to the U.S. Army’s III Corps. Often referred to as the Army’s “First Team,” the division traces its roots back to the early 1800’s and has served in every major battle from the Civil War to current day conflicts all over the globe.

“Serving was my way of saying thank you to the people who had served and were serving,” he said. “I decided to put my feelings into action.”

 Suerth’s job assignment was to become a legal advisor to a military unit in downtown Baghdad. “I got there the year after we invaded,” he said. “I was walking around with a M16 and sharing a room with eighteen guys. Many had gone to West Point and had trained as Army Rangers.”

A life-changing experience

When he first got there, being on such an important mission and serving with such amazing people seemed “a little like a fantasy,” he said. “And then soon after I arrived, things started blowing up. It was an experience that changed my life and perspective.”

Suerth admits to initially feeling a little out of his comfort zone carrying around an assault rifle. “I was the butt of an occasional joke,” he says with a smile. “But they learned to respect me and I learned so much from them … these guys do what they have to do, they don’t sleep, they don’t complain. They do what has to be done and they do it well.”

While in Iraq, one of Suerth’s main responsibilities was to provide compensation to families of those who had been mistakenly injured or killed during Army missions. He would go out with a team of solidiers, share a cup of tea with the family, and apologize on behalf of the military. “People were amazingly appreciative during this type of situation,” he said. “It was quite an experience.” He was not able to pay in all situations, he said, but did make an effort to make amends and “help keep the peace” when and how he could.

Certified to represent veterans

Suerth got the idea for his current mission, helping veterans with their legal affairs, shortly before he left for Iraq. While in training, he helped his fellow soldiers with their wills as part of their preparations for going into battle. “That’s how I got this idea,” he said. “I thought, there is no reason I could not do that for veterans here.”

Suerth also has been certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to represent veterans with respect to disability benefits. “If they have been denied or want to appeal a ruling, I can help them,” he said. “I’m doing it for the same reason I joined the military, to thank them. This is what I can offer.”

Suerth provided this service twice already, most recently in November around Veterans Day. When Suerth is not providing free legal advice to veterans, he works full-time as an attorney for Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C. in Hamden.  He also volunteers in a statewide child advocacy program, Lawyers for Children America (LFCA), has served on the State of Connecticut's Council on Environmental Quality, waged an unsuccessful campaign for a state Senate seat in 2008, and is in the second year of a MBA program with the University of Connecticut.

Serving the town, state, country

He has another job, the one that is close to his heart, as father to a young daughter. He said he moved to Madison four years ago because this is where he wants his daughter to grow up.

“I took one look at the Main Street and fell in love with Madison,” he said. “And once I got to know the town, I realized there was a very strong sense of volunteerism here, which suited me as well.”

He said he works hard to be a good father, spending much of his week taking care of his daughter, “brushing her hair, packing her lunch, getting her ready for school.” He said volunteering is yet another thing he does for his daughter. “Public service and being a father are the two things of which I am most proud,” he said. “If I can help the town, the state, the country where my daughter is growing up, I will do that.”

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